The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-17
ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE.
Shocks Felt in Tennessee, Mis-
souri, and Other States.
The Vibrations Severe Enough to
Create Considerable Alarm.

Another earthquake Of considerable pro-
portions has visited large area of the South
and West. At st. Louis the earth trembled
at 12:40 o'clock in the morning, and SO violent
was the movement that thousand of families
were awakened in the city and vicinity. There
was no noise, no warning, and the moon
was shining brightly at the time the shock
came It seems to have come up from the
south, and the evidence regarding the num-
Der of shocks is conflicting. The majority
say there was only one shock that lasted
about a half minute, while others assert
that there were two distinct shocks.
Those who were at home, and par
ticularly those who were in bed, felt
the shock most severely They were
awakened, if asleep, by the rattling Of the
windows in their castings. number OF in
cidents marked the passage of the earthquake.
Several persons were thrown from chairs or
beds, and when they attempted to rise from
the floor they found it impossible to retain
their equilibrium. At the Lafayette
Park Police Station the officer on duty
was thrown from his chair to the ground.
A great many persons were so far disturbed
that they ran out on the street in their night
awakened by the rattling of the windows and
the rocking of the beds on which they lay.
Many of them sprang out of bed, but the
shock subsidized SO quickly none of them was
seriously disturbed by it.
Reports from many points in Middle
and West Tennessee state that the earth
quake was distinctly felt and that much e1-
citement was created by the quivering of the
earth At Clarksville the vibrations were
from southwest to northeast and the dura-
tion from forty to sixty seconds. Many people
hastily vacated their houses, and numerous
women ran screaming into the streets Glass
ware was thrown from shelves and broken.
Entire families were awakened at Columbia
by the severity of the shock and much alarm
was felt. Several shocks were felt at Gala
tin, the first being at 1910 and the others at
short intervals The people Of jackson
experienced two shocks, the first at
midnight and The second at 1880.
The doors and windows Of residences in
Gallatin, Trllahoma and Clarksville were
shaken SO violently that the inmates armed
themselves, under the impression that tburglars
were attempting to gain an entrance, and
searched the buildings from top to bottom.
The shock in Nashville was most severe on the
east side, but few persons in the southern.
northern, and western portions of the city
were reused from their slumber. Many
people, some of them only partially dressed,
rushed into the streets for safety, some women
residences three miles from the city windows
ratified and vases and other ornaments
were shaken from mant,ls The Rev. W.
P. Harrison, D. D., editor of the Methodist
Quarterly Reuie,o, who has written much
concerning earthquakes, was writing in his
study at the time of the quake. He said
his attention was first attracted by rushing
sonnd as if made by some railroad train.
The next moment he was conscious
cl,o al, hn
by two men wrestling in the adjoining room.
The sound and disturbance diminished as in
the case of the train passing into the dis
tance. Dr.. Harrison said he was satisfied
that it was not an earthquake. He
thinks the disturbance was caused by
the passage of an aerolite within few
miles of the earth, and that the disturbance
was purely atmospheric. He is of the opinion
that the aerolite probably went into the At
lantic Ocean. DR.. Harrison is believer in
the theory which attributes earthquakes to
chemical action in the interior of the earth.
Dispatches from jacksonville, Centralia,
and Jonesborough, ILL.,, indicate that the early
earthquake shocks noted at Nashville, Tenn,
ST. Louis, and Evansville, Ind, were general
throughout Southern and Central llli-
nois. At Jacksonville the vibrations
seemed to be from east to west, but at Jones'
borough from northwest to south. In the
latter place rumbling noise was heard,
and the shocks were of sufficient force to
cause picture frames to fall from the walls.
At Evansville, Ind, there were three distinct
tremors, lasting about eight seconds, with un-
dulations from southeast to northwest. Some
excitement was created, though the shock
was over before it was fully realized.
Near Golden Pond, in Trigg County, Ky,
the earthquake caused 300 acres of land on q.
O. Hayden's farm to sink to depth of four
or five feet,